A thermoelectric device may be formed from alternating N and P elements/legs made of semiconducting material on a rigid substrate (e.g., alumina) joined on a top thereof to another rigid substrate/plate (e.g., again, alumina). In certain applications, ceramic enclosure(s) may encapsulate the aforementioned thermoelectric device. However, a traditional implementation of the thermoelectric device may be limited in application thereof because of rigidity, bulkiness, size and high costs (>$20/watt) associated therewith. In addition, the ceramic enclosure(s) and the substrate rigidity may compromise a flexibility of the thermoelectric device.